AUBURN - Westminster Presbyterian Church in Auburn is part of a partnership with Presbyterian churches in Korea and recently honored 10 visitors from that country. The Presbytery of Cayuga-Syracuse includes 44 churches, and the Pyongyang Presbytery represents 200 churches from South Korea. The arrangement between the churches is called the Presbytery Mission Partnership.
Jill Connor / The Citizen
The Rev. Chang Man Jang, part of the Pyongyang Presbytery delegation of South Korea, says a prayer in Korean as Dr. Jang Boo Chi translates at a luncheon at the Westminster Presbyterian Church in Auburn following a service Jang gave at the church Sunday.
The Rev. Chang Man Jang, part of the Pyongyang Presbytery delegation of South Korea, says a prayer in Korean as Dr. Jang Boo Chi translates at a luncheon at the Westminster Presbyterian Church in Auburn following a service Jang gave at the church Sunday.
The two congregations have held exchange visits on a regular basis over the past few years.
“The partnership between the two presbyteries has been great,” Pastor Phil Windsor said. “It's a wonderful way to appreciate the people of both countries. The Koreans are very appreciative of our Korean War veterans. Some of our people who went over there said it had been a life changing experience for them. The Presbyterian Church is really growing over there, too.”
Ten members of the Pyongyang Presbytery spent about a week in the Cayuga-Syracuse Presbytery. They spent last Sunday at the different churches in the area. The three who attended Westminster were the Rev. Chang Man Jang, stated clerk of the Presbyterian Church of Korea and chair of the International Partnership Committee, and the Rev. Duk Jae Kim and his wife, Suk Ja Beck. Accompanying the visitors were Dr. Jang Boo Chi and his wife, of Auburn.
The Korean pastors participated in the Sunday morning worship service, and they presented Pastor Windsor with a Bible/hymnal that was printed in both Korean and English, which was just published in Korea.
A luncheon was held in their honor at the church. Also invited were the families who will be hosting eight Korean high school students from the Pyongyang Presbytery when they will be participating in a four-week English language and cultural exchange program in July and August.
Linda Russell, Westminster's Christian education director and the convener of the mission and membership team, spent the week with the Korean visitors.
“Our guests visited eight churches in the Cayuga-Syracuse region and learned about the ministry and mission of those churches,” she said. “Our Korean partners are putting an enormous amount of energy into working with North Korean. Their people are phenomenal.”
Other stops were the Calvary Food Pantry, Westminster Manor and the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse.
In 2000, the two presbyteries entered into a covenant agreement that defined the goals of the partnership, which are summarized in the opening sentence, “In this partnership, we are 'mutually encouraged by each other's faith' (a quote from Romans, chapter 1) as we worship, break bread and share faith stories together.”
Since the establishment of the partnership, more than 75 Americans have visited Korea, representing 25 churches. Several themes were also developed as part of the Covenant, which include exploring Korean spirituality, evangelism and stewardship, sharing models of educational ministries, printing Bibles for Christians in North Korea, training lay pastors and supporting disaster relief.
The Pyongyang Presbytery has extended an invitation to members of the
Cayuga-Syracuse Presbytery, Korean War Veterans and families of adopted Korean children to visit South Korea in October. For details on the trip, contact Linda Russell at lsruss@aol.com or call 252-5795.
“The partnership between the two presbyteries has been great,” Pastor Phil Windsor said. “It's a wonderful way to appreciate the people of both countries. The Koreans are very appreciative of our Korean War veterans. Some of our people who went over there said it had been a life changing experience for them. The Presbyterian Church is really growing over there, too.”
Ten members of the Pyongyang Presbytery spent about a week in the Cayuga-Syracuse Presbytery. They spent last Sunday at the different churches in the area. The three who attended Westminster were the Rev. Chang Man Jang, stated clerk of the Presbyterian Church of Korea and chair of the International Partnership Committee, and the Rev. Duk Jae Kim and his wife, Suk Ja Beck. Accompanying the visitors were Dr. Jang Boo Chi and his wife, of Auburn.
The Korean pastors participated in the Sunday morning worship service, and they presented Pastor Windsor with a Bible/hymnal that was printed in both Korean and English, which was just published in Korea.
A luncheon was held in their honor at the church. Also invited were the families who will be hosting eight Korean high school students from the Pyongyang Presbytery when they will be participating in a four-week English language and cultural exchange program in July and August.
Linda Russell, Westminster's Christian education director and the convener of the mission and membership team, spent the week with the Korean visitors.
“Our guests visited eight churches in the Cayuga-Syracuse region and learned about the ministry and mission of those churches,” she said. “Our Korean partners are putting an enormous amount of energy into working with North Korean. Their people are phenomenal.”
Other stops were the Calvary Food Pantry, Westminster Manor and the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse.
In 2000, the two presbyteries entered into a covenant agreement that defined the goals of the partnership, which are summarized in the opening sentence, “In this partnership, we are 'mutually encouraged by each other's faith' (a quote from Romans, chapter 1) as we worship, break bread and share faith stories together.”
Since the establishment of the partnership, more than 75 Americans have visited Korea, representing 25 churches. Several themes were also developed as part of the Covenant, which include exploring Korean spirituality, evangelism and stewardship, sharing models of educational ministries, printing Bibles for Christians in North Korea, training lay pastors and supporting disaster relief.
The Pyongyang Presbytery has extended an invitation to members of the
Cayuga-Syracuse Presbytery, Korean War Veterans and families of adopted Korean children to visit South Korea in October. For details on the trip, contact Linda Russell at lsruss@aol.com or call 252-5795.
